All Things New
August 28
All Things New
"He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"
— Revelation 21:5
Today's Story
N.T. Wright has written extensively about the Christian hope as the renewal, not the escape, of creation. 'The resurrection is not about souls going to heaven,' he writes. 'It is about God making everything new — this world, these bodies, this history, renewed and redeemed.' The implication for present action is significant: the work done in this world — justice, beauty, love, learning, creation care — is not futile because this world is not discardable. It is the material from which the new creation will be made. Every act of beauty, justice, and love is a small preview of the new creation — participating in advance in what God will make permanent.
Reflection
Revelation 21:5 contains one of the most comprehensive promises in Scripture: 'I am making everything new.' The Greek word is kaina — qualitatively new, not just restored. Not the old world patched up but a genuine new creation, continuous with this one but transformed. And the emphatic addition: 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' The trustworthiness is essential — this is not wishful thinking but divine promise, secured by the character of the One who makes it. The world you live in today is heading toward this renewal. Your body, your relationships, your work, the groaning creation of Romans 8 — all of it is heading toward 'all things new.' Live in the light of that destination.
Today's Prayer
Lord, let the promise of all things new shape how I live today. Let me not cling to the old or despair at the decay, but invest in what You are renewing. Let my hope be as trustworthy as Your word. Amen.
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